Madikeri vegetable market work still incomplete

The construction of the vegetable market in the town is still incomplete.
Heaps of soil and iron rods erected all over the place mirror the sorry state of affairs.

The work is incomplete due to lack of funds in the City Municipal Council and the negligence of its members. The merchants are, however, still hopeful that the work will begin as the monsoon season nearing its end.

The City Municipal Council, which had boasted of constructing a supermarket, became silent after the work commenced. The work on the market, in turn, has come to a standstill about one year ago.

Coffee growers, farmers and labourers from rural areas visit Madikeri to purchase essential commodities every week. For the weekly shandy on Friday, merchants from Mysuru, Hassan and Kushalnagar get clothes, shoes, vegetables, leafy vegetables and flowers to the market. Without the completion of the construction work of the market, the merchants who arrive to the shandy do not have place to sell their wares.

The old market in Madikeri can accommodate only vegetable vendors. As a result, merchants are forced to sell their produce beside the road in spite of rain. Worse, the roof of the old market too leaks, during monsoon. A few stalls in it are on the verge of collapse. As a result, the meat sellers are not ready to purchase any modern equipment without proper market facility.

The ruling and opposition members in the Council of the City Municipal Council engage in mudslinging against each over delay in the completion of market. The merchants, however, are hopeful that the work on the market will commence after the new president takes charge, with the election to the post of the City Municipality president and vice president on September 9.

Sources in the City Municipality said, “A sum of Rs 1.40 crore was sanctioned for the work on the market. The contractor who had been entrusted with the work had reportedly informed the Municipality of insufficient funds and has sought an additional Rs 40 lakh to restart the work. The City Municipality has not taken any decision on the additional fund. The final decision will be taken after the election to the posts of the president and the vice president.”